Nomia

Latreille, 1804

sweat bees, alkali bees

Nomia is a of sweat in the , comprising approximately 130 worldwide. These moderate-sized bees are characterized by opalescent on the metasoma in many species. They are ground-nesting bees, with most species nesting solitarily and some exhibiting communal nesting where females share a nest entrance but lack or . The genus includes the intensively managed alkali bee (N. melanderi), which is commercially used for alfalfa in the western United States.

Nomia angustitibialis by (c) Gordon C. Snelling, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Gordon C. Snelling. Used under a CC-BY license.

Nomia by (c) Sam Kieschnick, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Sam Kieschnick. Used under a CC-BY license.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Nomia: //ˈnoʊ.mi.ə//

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Identification

Many Nomia display distinctive opalescent or iridescent across the metasoma (). Males of some species, such as N. triangulifera, possess expanded hind used for clasping females during mating. The can be distinguished from other by a combination of moderate body size, ground-nesting habit, and the presence of metasomal banding in numerous species. Species-level identification requires examination of morphological characters including and punctation patterns.

Images

Habitat

Ground-nesting in soils, with some showing preference for alkaline soils. N. melanderi occupies edge-of-field areas in agricultural landscapes where farmers maintain dedicated ' '—sub-irrigated zones reserved for nesting. N. triangulifera has been observed in association with sunflower plants.

Distribution

distribution spanning Africa, tropical Asia, Australia, and North America.

Diet

Females of N. triangulifera use sunflower plants as an exclusive food source. N. melanderi provisions nests with pollen and nectar collected from alfalfa and other floral sources. General feeding habits for the as a whole are not established.

Life Cycle

Males of N. triangulifera emerge before females. Females construct underground , provision them with pollen and nectar, lay directly on the provisions, and develop within the cells. N. melanderi exhibits within nest systems.

Behavior

Males of N. triangulifera sites and near plants, producing loud audible buzzes using during courtship. Courtship involves use of fore- and mid-legs, metasoma, and . Females of N. triangulifera rarely mate more than once in captivity; receptive females typically lack sperm in , while unreceptive females often contain sperm. N. melanderi exhibits complex nest construction including building, provisioning, and of .

Human Relevance

N. melanderi is the only intensively managed ground-nesting , commercially used to pollinate alfalfa seed in the western United States, particularly in Washington State. Farmers maintain sub-irrigated 'bee ' to optimize nesting conditions, achieving yields of approximately 1,000 pounds of clean seed per acre. Research on N. melanderi has advanced understanding of soil-moisture requirements for ground-nesting bee management.

Similar Taxa

HabropodaBoth are solitary ground-nesting in the superfamily , but Habropoda belongs to and lacks the opalescent metasomal characteristic of many Nomia .
LasioglossumBoth are sweat with ground-nesting habits, but Lasioglossum exhibits greater diversity in social including , and generally lacks the distinctive opalescent banding of Nomia.

More Details

Communal nesting

While most Nomia are solitary, some exhibit communal nesting where multiple females share a common nest entrance but maintain separate without division of labor into or .

Research significance

N. melanderi serves as a model organism for studying the management of in agricultural systems, with 50 of bees documented in managed bee near Walla Walla, Washington.